He knew she was expensive, but he didn't think it was this much.
Yet he had borrowed her services for just 10,000 yuan.
That was fifty times less.
He exhaled slowly.
"No."
Mengqi raised an eyebrow.
"Let's not do a sponsorship at the moment."
"Okay..." She tilted her head. "But could I ask the reason why?"
Lin Feng opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Well... I don't have that good of a reason.
He scratched his head.
"Can I say I'm just jealous and want to remain Su Yue's sole sponsor for a while?"
Mengqi stared at him.
"What?"
Lin Feng turned to Su Yue.
"I'll raise money and definitely sponsor you myself. But if you really want to accept the sponsorship, I can't stop you."
It might be true that I want to monopolize Su Yue's image to be associated with my businesses and just can't afford it yet.
But there's also another reason.
Idols had the most sensitive careers. Collaborating with brands could seem like just work - but it could turn into a controversy if that brand's dirty laundry was exposed. She would be attacked for associating with them.
While it didn't happen often, Lin Feng needed Su Yue's image to remain pure and unquestionable for his goals.
That's why he'd have to create brands that would sponsor her. Things he had control over. Things where he could avoid any sort of danger.
Am I overdoing it a little?
Yes.
But there's nothing I can do about it. This is also related to my own safety.
Su Yue's face had turned a deeper shade of red.
Lin Feng is jealous?
Isn't that practically a confession?
She nodded, her voice soft.
"I'll do as Lin Feng says."
Mengqi facepalmed.
This is definitely exploitation.
She glanced at the daydreaming Su Yue and sighed.
But I can't do anything since the victim is so ensnared she doesn't understand what's happening.
She looked at Su Yue again.
Love, is it?
To be so ensnared that you willingly let yourself lose without any defense in front of someone else.
She wondered if she too could ever experience such a feeling.
…
Lin Feng sat on the couch, his laptop open on the coffee table.
His expression was serious as he scrolled through the analytics dashboard.
Then he scratched his head.
Just as I expected.
They hadn't done anything close to the original game's numbers. There were just too many uncontrollable factors, even with a solid product.
It was launch day, and they had only made 300 sales.
While the day wasn't over yet, he didn't think much would change.
He sighed.
These are probably purchases from campus students.
The sponsored streamers had yet to go live. But to be honest, he didn't have much hope for them either.
He sighed again.
At that moment, Su Yue sat down next to him.
She handed him a glass of juice.
"What's got you sighing like that?"
He looked at her.
Then suddenly, he had an idea.
This...
He felt a little bad. But there was nothing he could do. He really needed that idol clout.
She would understand, right?
"It's nothing," he said. "I'm just having a little trouble with something."
"Is it something I can help with?"
He opened his mouth, about to speak.
Then he smiled.
"No, it's okay. I can handle it."
She noticed his hesitation. But before she could comment on it, he quickly changed the subject.
"What about you?"
He tilted his head.
"You aren't pushing yourself too hard, are you?"
She blinked at the sudden shift.
"I applied leave for both of us so we could focus on our careers," he continued. "But I also wanted you to have more time. Time you could spend doing something for yourself."
Su Yue shook her head gently.
"I'm alright. I'm not pushing myself too hard."
"Is it too suffocating just focusing on work all day? You can take some time to relax." He gestured vaguely. "You have Yanzi now. If you want, you can always have her take you somewhere nice."
"I'm okay. Really."
She paused.
Then she flipped it on him.
"What about you? You seem busy all the time."
Lin Feng leaned back.
"Well, it's the role of the man of the house to work."
He turned to look at her.
"Otherwise, how could I feed you?"
Su Yue's face flushed red.
She gently slapped his shoulder.
"Stop."
"Ow!"
Lin Feng let out an exaggerated squeak.
"You've grown so strong."
"Stop pretending."
He clutched his shoulder dramatically.
"It's broken. You should pay up 50,000 yuan or I'll sue you."
She slapped him again.
"Don't joke like that."
"It's 100,000 now."
She looked at him.
He looked much different than he did a moment earlier. The worry lines on his face had faded. His eyes had that familiar playful glint.
She smiled softly.
I definitely prefer this side of him.
"Is there really nothing going on?" she asked.
"Are you changing the subject now so you don't have to pay me?"
"I'm serious."
Her voice was gentle but firm.
"You looked so worried just now. I really want to help."
She met his eyes.
"What's going on?"
Lin Feng was quiet for a moment.
Then he sighed and looked at his laptop.
"It's really nothing."
He paused.
"It's just... I created a game studio with a friend some time back. We just released our first game today."
He closed the laptop slowly.
"It looks like it'll probably flop."
He shrugged.
"I was just worried my friend might be sad. We put a lot of effort into it."
Su Yue tilted her head.
"Won't you also be sad?"
He didn't answer.
He closed the laptop fully and began packing up.
"Well... a little."
He slung his bag over his shoulder, downed the juice in one gulp, and set the empty glass on the table.
"Thanks for your hospitality."
He began walking toward the door.
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
He was almost at the door.
Was it a failure?
"Wait."
Yes!
He turned around, keeping his expression neutral.
"Was there something else you wanted to talk about?"
Su Yue fidgeted slightly.
"What's the name?"
"What?"
"What's the name? Of the game."
"Ah, that."
He tilted his head.
"You're still thinking about that?"
She nodded.
"Since you made it, I want to try it for myself."
She shrugged.
"You said it yourself. It's suffocating doing nothing but work here. I was thinking of getting into something like games to entertain myself."
She smiled.
"What better way to get into gaming than with your game?"
Lin Feng held his chin, pretending to consider it.
"Well... I guess that makes sense."
He told her the name.
"Leave a good review," he added. "Even if you don't like it."
She nodded.
"I will."
He waved and walked out the door.
...
The door clicked shut behind him.
Lin Feng let out a long breath.
I don't know if it worked or not.
But I hope it did.
Otherwise... I really might be broke my whole life.
He scratched his head as he walked down the hallway.
Dammit.
Why is it so hard to just lie down and get infinite money for free?